Sunday, March 1, 2009

I made these empanadas last weekend for Max's birthday party...the adult portion of the party. I loved the way they came out! I have tried several recipes in the past, for catering gigs & this one is definitely the best so far. I found it on the Cooks Illustrated website. It should make about 3-4 dozen mini empanadas.It is time consuming, but can be done over the course of a few days. The finished empanadas freeze very well.I decided to make them again here, so that I could have them in the freezer for the Bozos.Start by making the pastry.I used a food processor, but you can use a pastry blender if you don't have one.Put 3 3/4 cups flour in the bowl of the processor.Add 1 tablespoon of sugar,and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt.Pulse several times to combine.Cut 1 1/2 sticks of ice cold, unsalted butter into chunks.Get some ice water ready & have an empty measuring cup handy.Scatter the butter over the flour mixture,and pulse until the butter chunks are no larger than the size of a pea.Dump the mixture out into a bowl,and sprinkle on some ice water, a 1/4 cup at a time.Between additions, use a spatula to press the mixture together, until a soft dough forms. You may need up to 1 1/4 cups water. But, it may take less. Continue adding & mixing until there is no more flour in the bottom of the bowl.Separate the dough into two balls,wrap them in plastic wrap & flatten them into discs. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or up to 2 days.Next, make the filling.Finely chop one medium onion & set aside.Mince 2 cloves of garlic & place in a small bowl.Add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste,1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves, or 1/4 teaspoon dried,1 teaspoon of ground cumin,a pinch of cayenne pepper,and a pinch of ground cloves. Set aside.Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet, over medium high heat.Add the onions & saute for about 6 minutes, or until soft & translucent.Add the garlic mixture & saute an additional minute.Next, add 1/2 lb. of 85% lean ground beef,and cook until cooked through.Then, add 3/4 cup of low-sodium beef broth.Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until all the liquid is cooked off.It should be moist, but not runny.Remove from heat & add 1 teaspoon of sugar & mix to combine.Taste & season with salt & pepper as needed.Put the filling in a bowl & cool to room temperature.Once cool, measure 2 ounces of shredded Monterey Jack cheese,and mix into the filling. Cover with plastic wrap & chill until completely cooled, or up to 3 days.Next, is the assembling of the empanadas...

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comments:

Did you forget to include the list of recipe ingredients and directions. It is very hard to try to figure out all the necessary ingredients and cooking implements one will need to buy or have at hand ahead of time.

@Anonymous -All of the recipe ingredients and directions are above, listed under each photo. This is an old post and it does not feature a "printable recipe", as my more modern posts do. I will update it when I have time, but meanwhile, you can scan through the post and jot down the ingredients/quantities.